This page is having a slideshow that uses Javascript. Your browser either doesn't support Javascript or you have it turned off. To see this page as it is meant to appear please use a Javascript enabled browser.

For the fighter nicknamed ‘The Terminator’, the plan was simple in his Octagon debut against powerful Mike Pierce last August in Massachusetts – make the American wrestler pay every time he shot in for a takedown.

The planner, Amilcar Alves – who returns to the Octagon on January 22 against Charlie Brenneman in a welterweight bout on the Fight For The Troops 2 card – had it all worked out in his brain regarding what his opponent would do and how he would react to it. If he did what he was supposed to, it would be enough to simply terminate Pierce. He even prepared to deliver a flying knee when a gap appeared, adjusting the timing and capitalizing on the moment the way Pablo Garza did against Fredson Paixao in the TUF 12 Finale . . . Click here for more by Martins Denis, UFC.com

This Friday a purse bid auction will be held for the WBC title fight between WBC featherweight champion Hozumi Hazegawa and the Jhonny Gonzalez in the WBC offices in Mexico City. Promociones del Pueblo of Mexico (Gonzalez) and Teiken Promotions of Japan (Hasegawa) have both signaled interest in promoting the fight. Sources indicate there is a possibility that both companies can reach an agreement before the auction or that Teiken Promotions will make a large bid to bring the fight to Japan. Other sources indicate that Promociones del Pueblo may try to put Hasegawa-Gonzalez in the Arena Mexico in Distrito Federal and that would be the best chance to keep the fight in Mexico.

WBA super world middleweight champion Felix Sturm will face up- and coming prospect Ronald “The Choosen One” Hearns, the son of boxing legend Thomas Hearns, in his ninth title defense on February 19 at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. It will be the second fight for Sturm under his own promotional banner, Sturm Box-Promotion. The kick-off press conference is scheduled for today. Tickets for Sturm-Hearns are available online at www.eventim.de.

“I really think that great, great years are again coming for boxing in this decade,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum today in Los Angeles. “[There’s] a lot of interest in the sport. We have the prime fighter in the world who has taken the sport to another level where he’s written about outside of the sports pages, where people all over the world know him, where people are taking about the fact that he may be the future president of his country….so that’s elevating boxing and all of these fighters are going to benefit, everyone in boxing is going to be benefiting from the notoriety that Manny Pacquiao has brought to the sport.”

“People say that boxing’s in trouble because it only drew 5,000 people. Well they don’t have the background to realize that in the ’80s when boxing was on terrestrial television, that we used to put these fights on at Caesars Pavillion which had 4,200 seats. We sold out most of the good fights, but again we’re talking about 4,000 people. So now when you do 5,000 it’s not bad, it’s good! The problem is that these buildings are so big, so now we’re shrinking it down to 6,000, everybody will have a great, great seat, and we expect to sell all of the seats because boxing, not matter what anybody says, is popular, it’s more popular than it’s been in years, and it will be even more popular still if we can showcase great fights like we’ll be doing on February 19th.

“Back, I guess it was in the late ’70s, we did a show at Caesars Palace. Sugar Ray Leonard, undefeated, challenged for the welterweight title against the undefeated champion Wilfred Benitez. The undercard was a middleweight championship bout between Vito Antuofermo and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who wasn’t yet marvelous. They didn’t use the name “Marvelous” then. And that show was also in the Pavillion at Caesars Palace which had 4,200 people….Boxing now with big venues and a lot of interest is as popular, if not more more so, as it was then.”

At 42 years old, former world heavyweight champion Tommy “The Duke” Morrison wants to show that he still has some fight left inside him. Whether the former Rocky V star has that fight is inside a Montreal boxing ring on February 25th as scheduled remains to be seen, but in a story that has more twists and turns than any Hollywood movie. Morrison is saying he is healthy, willing and able.
“I’ve as healthy as I’ve ever been and I’m going to shock the world,” said Morrison via telephone in an exclusive Fightnews interview. “I’m going to become heavyweight champion of the world, that’s if I can get one of them to fight me.”

Whether Morrison gets that chance in a fight versus local Montreal product Eric Barrack (3-0) remains to be seen. Despite claims that he is licensed in the Province of Quebec and in New Zealand, commissions of both jurisdictions disagree. “We didn’t approve anything,” Michel Hamelin of the Quebec Commission told Fightnews. “He is not licensed yet.” Hamelin told Fightnews that while nothing officially has been presented to him, he along the commission will have a lot of questions for many of the boxers scheduled to appear on the card including nearly 50 year-old Ray Mercer and 44 year-old Joe Gatti. (more…)

The most compelling fighter in the sport of mixed martial arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Brock Lesnar, will serve as a coach for the 13th season of Spike TV’s popular original series, The Ultimate Fighter®. Announced today by Dana White, UFC® President and host of the series, Lesnar will be opposed by hard-hitting top contender Junior dos Santos. (more…)

Middleweight knockout artist Bastie Samir (7-0, 7 KOs) has yet to let a professional opponent see the third round and the 2008 Olympian will continue his pro career in undercard action Friday night at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Samir takes on Philadelphia’s Greg Hackett (2-4) on January 14 in a six round bout. The event will be headlined by the ten round junior middleweight main event between unbeaten rising star Erislandy Lara (14-0, 9 KO’s) and Arkansas’ Delray Raines (18-8-1, 13 KOs) and will also feature a six round junior welterweight contest pitting East LA phenom Frankie Gomez (7-0, 6 KOs) against the Bahamas’ Hensley Strachan (5-8-1, 1 KO), as well as Coachella’s own, rising junior featherweight prospect Randy Caballero (6-0, 4 KO’s) who risks his perfect record in a six round fight against an opponent to be announced. Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar de la Hoya will be on hand taking in all the action from ringside.

WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel (43-2-2, 33 KOs) and two-division champion Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) were at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday wrapping up a two-day press tour announcing their February 19 fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. After meeting face-to-face yesterday in Las Vegas, the fighters remained respectful. Donaire promised fireworks and said both he and Montiel will give it all. Montiel vowed that the fight is going to be a war and a sensational fight. Promoter Bob Arum said the arena will be scaled for 6,000 fans and remaining tickets are priced at $250, $125, $50 and $25.

While the Northeast digs out from a snowstorm, ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights returns to the warmth Mallory Square in Key West, FL on Friday for a night of red hot action. In the main event, former start of The Contender and top-ten ranked middleweight Peter Manfredo, Jr. (36-6, 2 KOs) looks to position himself for another crack at a world title against the rugged veteran Daniel Edouard (23-3, 14 KOs). In the co-feature, one of the hottest prospects in all of boxing, super middleweight Edwin Rodriguez (17-0, 13 KOs) faces the toughest test in his career and the son of a legend, Aaron Pryor, Jr. (15-2, 11 KOs).

“There is nothing that warms the soul in the dead of winter like great boxing, and there is no better place for it than Key West,” said promoter Lou DiBella. “Manfredo and Edouard will step into the ring on January 14 knowing only one will leave it as a viable title contender and Edwin Rodriguez will likely face adversity that he has never faced before. I am excited to be teaming up with DEJ Promotions for this memorable night of action.”

Heavyweight prospect Travis Kauffman (21-1, 16 KOs) has been added to the January 22 Holyfield-Williams card in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Kaufmann takes on 7’1 veteran Julius “Towering Inferno” Long (15-14, 13 KOs) in an eight-rounder. The full undercard is scheduled to be announced tomorrow.

UFC Live Presale Starts Tomorrow: Tickets go on presale for Fight Club members January 12 for UFC Live Sanchez vs. Kampmann. UFC Live is Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY.

The British Boxing Board of Control has decided not to withhold any of heavyweight Audley Harrison’s reported £1.5million purse following his non-performance against WBA heavyweight champion David Haye in November. Harrison threw just one punch in three round debacle.

An official statement said: “The stewards of the British Boxing Board of Control have accepted Harrison’s explanation and will not be taking the matter any further.”

The WBC Silver lightweight title bout between Tijuana’s Antonio DeMarco (24-2-1, 18KOs) and Reyes Sanchez (20-3-1, 11KOs) of Mexico City, MX, is beginning to take shape now that a venue has been determined. The twelve round championship fight will be held at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on February 26th. The fight will be televised on SHOWTIME Championship Boxing as the co-main event with Brandon Rios’ challenge for Miguel Acosta’s WBA lightweight title. (more…)

Due to a pending snow storm in the New York metropolitan area, “Brooklyn Explosion” promoted by Maureen Shea’s Pandora Promotions and Global Boxing will be rescheduled for January 19, with the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn remaining the venue. All tickets purchased for the original date of January 13 will be honored on the 19th. The main event, featuring the first ever all-female main event in New York City history pitting top rated super bantamweight Alicia “Slick” Ashley of Brooklyn and Crystal Hoy, will remain the same as well. In the co-featured bout, former Israeli Navy Crew Commander Eilon Kedem (11-4-4, 7 KO) will face Jose “Chilli” Rivera (2-2-1) in a six round super bantamweight fight.

Over a 13-year career, Yves Edwards has emotionally surfed the highs and lows of the fight game, and the Bahamas native envisions a glorious resurgence as he hunts his second straight UFC victory at this month’s Fight for the Troops event in Fort Hood, Tex. . . . Click here for more by Frank Curreri, UFC.com

There is much concern in the Austin Trout Camp as to the exact location of his January 29 mandatory fight against WBA super welterweight champion Rigoberto “Español” Alvarez in Mexico. “I’m very disappointed because they don’t have the exact place to the fight. They say many places. Quintana Roo, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Leon Guanajuato and others. But it seems like they are not listening to my team. I will not fight him in his hometown/state unless he wins a purse bid. We’re happy. I’m agreeing to go to Mexico. I’m a Marquez and Arce fan, but the problem is the exact place to the fight,” said Trout.

Team Trout informed Alvarez’ team months ago that if the fight takes place at a high elevation they need to be informed way beforehand so they can set up camp at a high elevation.

“I understand all the organizational and promotional issues to make a world title fight but the time is now short to know the site. I’d like to fight but we need answers and information,” says Trout. Trout’s team emphasizes that they doesn’t have anything against fighting in Mexico, but knowing the exact location of the fight would allow them to change or intensify certain aspects of training. Trout has worked hard during the last three months for his fight with Alvarez and feels that they already have a site secured.

The expectation remains for a possible fight between Mexican stars Juan Manuel Márquez and Érik “Terrible” Morales for April 9th in Las Vegas. “We still don’t have anything decided or finalized but we are studying the possibility,” said Marquez. “On January 20 we have a meeting with Golden Boy Promotions where we will speak about whether the WBA and WBO lightweight titles will be in play and also this if this will be a 12 round fight. There are many subjects to talk with Golden Boy Promotions about but after that meeting we’ll have a final answer for this possible fight or any other fight mentioned.”

Other sources indicate that if there is a good purse Marquez will fight Morales but only defend his WBA and WBO lightweight titles with a good economical incentive. He is also looking for the chance to win a fourth world crown in super lightweight division.

WBC Champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KOs) will defend his title against Cuban Odlanier Solis (17-0, 12 KOs) at LANXESS Arena Cologne, Germany, on March 19. Solis is ranked #1 in the WBC and Klitschko’s official mandatory challenger.

Vitali Klitschko: “I have heard and read different quotes from Solis saying that I tried to avoid him. This is nonsense. There’s a reason why I’m WBC Champion and I am proud of holding the same title that Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis held. I will show inside the ring that I am the strongest heavyweight champion and I am 100 percent sure I will successfully defend my title. But I know Solis is a very tough opponent and I will not underestimate him.”

Odlanier Solis: “The Klitschkos seem to think that I am just another opponent like the last tomato cans they cherry-picked so Vitali could easily beat them up. But I am not only the mandatory challenger. I have been the best amateur fighter in the world and I will prove that I am the best professional fighter as well. Klitschko should be afraid to lose his title. I will end his career.”

Bernd Bönte, Managing Director of Klitschko Management Group (KMG): “We are glad we have a signed contract and a go for March 19 in Cologne. Solis is definitely one of Vitali’s toughest opponents. I think it’s a very interesting fight for the audience.”

In Germany, Klitschko vs. Solis will be shown live and exclusively on RTL. Ticket sales start on January 26 and will be available on www.eventim.de. Prices start at 25 euro.

Cruiserweight Steve “USS” Cunningham (23-2, 12 KOs) has moved his training camp to Berlin’s famed Max-Schmeling-Gym again where he continues his preparation for the showdown with IBF mandatory challenger Enad Licina (19-2, 10 KOs) on January 22 in Neubrandenburg. The IBF world champion arrived on Sunday with coach Naazim Richardson, assistant coach Buddy Osborn and two other fighters in Berlin-Tegel. On Monday he took a look with his team on the famous Olympic stadium next to the gym. “I’m happy to be back in Berlin,” Cunningham said. “It will be the third world championship fight for me in Germany and I have good memories of the country and the fans.” In the second main fight of the show Sebastian Sylvester defends his IBF middleweight title against French challenger Mehdi Bouadla (21-3, 10 KOs).

One of WBO super featherweight champion Ricky Burns’ New Year resolutions is to become Scotland’s first ever unified world champion. The 27-year-old took the title from Roman Martinez in a thriller last year and is now looking to add another belt to his collection. “I’ve asked my promoter Frank Warren to look into a unification fight later this year, and he has assured me that he’s working hard to deliver one for me. Last year I followed Martinez very carefully, and I’ll be doing the same with Mzonke Fana in 2011. He looks like the man to beat at the moment, and he’s the fighter that I want. I took on the best in the world when I beat Martinez, and I’ll do the same with Fana.” Promoter Frank Warren will shortly be announcing details of Burns’ second title defense.

Heavyweight Audley Harrison is expected to find out today whether the British Boxing Board of Control will withhold any of his reported £1.5million purse following his passive effort against WBA heavyweight champion David Haye in November. Harrison will appear before the board to explain non-performance in the one-sided bout.

Almost twenty years after they squared as a pair of undefeated fighters for the WBO heavyweight world championship in 1991, veterans Ray “Merciless” Mercer and Tommy “The Duke” Morrison will share the same ring in a pair of separate bouts scheduled for February 25th in Montreal. Newly formed SP Promotions is certainly stirring the pot and bringing back names long since forgotten as it travels back in time and is resurrecting names either recently or long since forgotten. Also joining the senior circuit will be two-time world title challenger Joe Gatti, brother of Arturo and over eight years removed from his last fight. Gatti who is 43 years-old is scheduled to meet Walid Smichet who at 31 and also recently retired qualifies as a young buck amongst most of the night’s combatants. (more…)

Lights Out, from Executive Producer/Showrunner Warren Leight (In Treatment), stars Holt McCallany (CSI: Miami) as an aging former heavyweight boxing champion who struggles to find his identity and support his wife and three daughters after retiring from the ring. Financial problems leave him at a perilous crossroads – battling the urge to return to boxing or reluctantly accepting a job as a brutal and intimidating debt collector. Catherine McCormack (Braveheart) co-stars as “Theresa Leary,” Lights’ wife who is finishing her medical residency; Pablo Schreiber (Law & Order) as “Johnny Leary,” Lights’ brother and business manager whom Lights put through college; and Stacy Keach (Fat City) as “Pops,” Lights’ father and former trainer who runs the boxing gym owned by Lights. Clark Johnson (The Shield, The Wire) and Norberto Barba (In Treatment, CSI: NY) directed the pilot episode. Series Creator Justin Zackham (The Bucket List), Phillip Noyce (Salt) and Ross Fineman are also Executive Producers. Lights Out is produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions.

With all the mention of “fireworks,” you would’ve thought today’s presser at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was announcing an upcoming fight set for the 4th of July. Both fighters, their respective trainers and the promoter all used the word, and used it freely.

But, on February 19, nothing less than fireworks are expected, when Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire step into the ring to decide the closest thing to an undisputed bantam champion you’re likely to see in this day and age . . . Click here for more

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is set to defend against mandatory challenger Odlanier Solis on March 19 at the Köln Arena in Cologne, Germany. The respective camps came to an agreement averting a scheduled WBC purse bid. Solis is said to have agreed to a $1.8 million purse, while Klitschko’s K2 Promotions will promote the fight.

Undefeated and heralded prospects Luis Franco, Lateef Kayode, Archie Ray Marquez, Rico Ramos and Cornelius White highlight an action-packed February of ShoBox: The New Generation fights while two SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events will follow, including a March 19 battle for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super Middleweight World Championship between champion Lucian Bute and Brian Magee.

“In our 25th year of boxing on SHOWTIME, we’re pleased to formally announce our first four dates of 2011,” said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “ShoBox continues to feature boxing’s hottest up-and-coming stars like Lateef Kayode and Rico Ramos. And with great lightweight action, Lucian Bute’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING debut and the dramatic conclusions to the Super Six and bantamweight tournaments already planned for 2011, this is a strong start for what promises to be a landmark year on the network.” (more…)

Top Rank hosted a press conference at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to officially kick off the Feb. 19 bantamweight showdown between WBC/WBO Fernando Montiel (43-2-2, 33 KOs), of Mexico City, and Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines. The odds opened today in Vegas with Donaire a -220 favorite over +180 Montiel. Stay tuned for a full report from today’s presser.

Las Vegas’ first world title fight of 2011 will feature world bantamweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel defending his title against two-division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in the latest chapter of the storied México-Philippines rivalry on February 19, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. The MGM Resorts Sports Books opening line has Donaire the betting favorite. Donaire is -220 over Montiel who is +180.

“Eighteen years ago I promoted a fight with two 108-pound world champions which was one of the greatest events I ever promoted — Michael Carbajal vs. Humberto Gonzalez at the Las Vegas Hilton. It proved to everyone that dynamite can come in all size of packages,” said Hall of Fame promoter and CEO of Top Rank, Bob Arum. “Montiel vs. Donaire at Mandalay Bay on February 19 will feature a matchup between two hard-punching bantamweights that is every bit as explosive as Carbajal-Gonzalez. It’s a can’t-miss fight and the fans will be assured of seeing a dynamite event.” (more…)

Texan Felipe Córdova is the new foe for super bantamweight contender Jonathan Oquendo on January 22 for the NABO 122lb title on a card to be held inside the walls of Correctional Complex 1072 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The PR Best Boxing Promotions presentation to be televised on pay-per-view in Puerto Rico. Córdova (10-2, 4 KOs) replaced Cuauhtemoc Vargas (15-4, 10 KOs), who had some problems with his visa. Other featured bouts include heavyweight prospect Carlos Negrón (10-0, 7 KOs) and bantamweight prospect McJoe Arroyo (6-0, 3 KOs) in six round bouts against fighters to be announced. Also in action, will be prisoners Rafael “Lobito” Sierra (5-5-1, 2 KOs), Luis Díaz (1-0, 1KO) and debuting Frank Santos.